The Legend of Zelda: Time to Return
by Legend Seeker
Summary: It's been seven years since OoT, and Link has tried to leave his life behind him. But the Goddesses won't let him, and Link must learn to accept his role as the Hero of Time. ZxLink
1. Regrets and Incidents

Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. If I did, I would have already released the next game. As of such, I only own the plot.

**The Legend of Zelda: Time of Return**

**Chapter I: Regrets and Incidents**

A blonde-haired boy in a green tunic lazily lay on the grass by Lake Hylia. We all know this boy to be Link, the Hero of Time.

Seven years had passed since he had returned the Master Sword to its place. This time, Link had actually lived for seven years, not slept in a chamber. He had a long sword and Hylian shield strapped to his back. His other equipment was hidden.

Link had not spoken to Zelda ever since. In fact, he avoided Hyrule Castle Town and Kakariko altogether. He had bad memories about that place. Plus, he had been kicked out of the forest seven years ago when he tried returning. Even now, he was shooed away. They didn't remember him saving them. Of course, that had been an alternate time. Only the Sages and he remembered.

The people believed that the Hero of Time was a larger, muscular man who dressed in a white robe and wielded nothing other than the Master Sword. They also believed that he had gone off on another journey somewhere else. Since the Door of Time was closed, and no one believed the people that were the Sages actually were (the Kokiri didn't even bother to listen to Saria; they didn't know what a castle was) who they claimed to be, Link was just another traveler. So the world had gone off on ignorance. While it meant that Link could've visited Hyrule Castle Town and Kakariko without being recognized, he preferred it alone.

The people also believed that Ganondorf hadn't been the enemy, that it had been a Demon from beyond, and that Ganondorf had died and been buried quietly. Only the Gerudos knew better. They also were the only ones who believed.

The legend of the Hero of Time was now something people told their children at night, or entertainers told others at bars. It was a bedtime story, and that was the Link wanted it. He wanted to leave everyone's life.

Except Zelda's. She was the only he wanted to be with. But she had most likely forgotten him. Link had heard that Zelda occasionally told the story to her advisors and people, but there were as examples for how they should be.

Link almost regretted ever agreeing to the Deku Tree's last words and wishes. He regretted ever doing anything. Only two things prevented from entirely regretting it.

The first was how tortured Hyrule had been in the alternate time. It still gave Link nightmares, including the castle town.

The second was Zelda.

Link sighed, before standing up. Hyrule was a large place to travel, especially since he hadn't gotten Epona again. He thought the horse deserved a long, simple life in Lon Lon Ranch. Link was leaving Lake Hylia when he heard something.

Link's sword and shield came to bear. Seven years had increased his skills, rather than decrease them. He looked around. He didn't see anything. But he could sense it. Something was there, waiting for him…

"Excuse me sir."

Link spun around to face a mounted Hylian messenger. Link realized that his sword was inches from the man's throat. He put it and his shield away.

"I have a request from the Royal Council," the messenger began. "The Council, against Zelda's wishes, has requested that all who know anything about the story of the Hero of Time come to the castle, and help write it into a book that can be kept, copied, and distributed."

The Royal Council was Zelda's advisors. Link wasn't surprised that Zelda was against it. She probably didn't like remember having to hide as a boy. She probably didn't want to remember him, either, according to a thought in the back of his head.

"You're not being singled out," the messenger explained. "I just saw you and I have a duty."

Link nodded.

"Will you be coming?" the messenger asked. Link nodded again, hesitantly. The messenger took it in just now that Link was either unable to or wouldn't speak.

"You'll need to sign this," the messenger requested, handing him a list of names and a writing quill. Link signed himself down, using his real name. People thought the Hero of Time's name was Zilashi or something like that.

"They are beginning to start the process," the messenger added as a last word. "It will take about two weeks."

With that last word, the messenger rode off. Link continued to stand for a moment. The thing he had sensed was gone. Link looked around for another moment, and then started to walk towards Hyrule Castle. It was midmorning, and Link had time to waste. Besides, the process would take two weeks.

Night caught Link halfway across Hyrule Field. Link made a small fire with Din's Fire, and then lay down next to it to sleep. A noise made his eyes snap open. Link looked around. It was the same thing from before. He couldn't explain it. Link stood up and took out his sword and shield. He started walking towards whatever he sensed. It kept on getting stronger and stronger. 900 feet from his campfire, Link realized that the sense was so strong it was about to kill him.

Then suddenly the sense weakened. Weakened wasn't right. It seemed to…embrace him, as though it were saying, You can continue. Link didn't understand it. Then he heard a scream in front of him.

About fifty feet in front of him, a woman was being attacked by a Wolfos. The woman was about Link's height, with long blue hair and eyes. She wore a blue dress. Link ran forward.

Link swung at the Wolfos, getting its attention. The Wolfos ran in a circle around Link, then swung twice with its paws. Link back flipped out of the way, and then leaped forward and slashed downward on the Wolfos's unprotected back. The Wolfos died and separated into blue flames before vanishing.

Link turned to face the woman. She looked incredibly wise, and Link suspected that she could have easily done with the Wolfos herself.

"I thank you, Chosen Hero," the woman said, then walked away. Link blinked, and the woman was gone.

Link was completely confused. Why had she called him Chosen Hero? Link wandered back to his campfire and lay down to sleep, deciding not to worry.

The next morning, Link put out his campfire and continued his journey. The sense appeared again. Link, wondering if it was the mysterious woman again, followed it. As it got to the point where it was about to kill him, it embraced him again. Link looked around, trying to find the woman.

"Excuse me mister!"

Link turned to find a nine-year-old girl watching him. She had short green hair, green eyes, and wore a green skirt. Link could've mistaken her for a Kokiri in the forest.

"Can you see up the tree?" the girl asked. Link looked up a nearby tree. There was a green colored comb in it. It was much brighter than the leaves. Link nodded to the girl.

"Well I'm so brave I can climb up that big tree and get it!" the girl proclaimed with a smile. Then the smile and enthusiasm faded. "If I was big enough."

Link smiled. He couldn't leave the girl just standing around, so he jumped up the tree and grabbed the comb easily. He dropped down and gave it to the girl. The girl smiled.

"Thank you, Chosen Hero!" she beamed. Link blinked in surprise, and the girl was gone.

Link was wondering whether he was hallucinating. He slowly trudged on, looking for a sign that he was sane. Then he sensed it again. Link followed, let it embrace him, then looked. A woman with long red hair, red eyes, and a red dress was standing next to a pit, looking into it. A cow was stuck in the pit. Link was wondering if he wasn't dead and just a ghost, but he decided to help out anyway.

Link jogged forward and jumped down into the pit. With the aid of his golden gauntlets, Link picked up the cow and tossed it out of the pit. Link climbed out after it.

"Thank you, Chosen Hero," the woman thanked him. Link had the unfortunate instinct to blink, and the woman and cow were gone.

Link had the strangest feeling that he was being toyed with somehow.

He felt unnerved by the sudden vanishes and their thanking of him, but Link is a hard rock, and it only bothered him for another minute or two.

Link continued to walk across Hyrule Field. He made to the Hyrule Castle Town gate just before ten. He stood right before the bridge, hesitating. He was, well, nervous and somewhat frightened nervous.

As a response, the Triforce of Courage glowed slightly on his hand, lending a bit of its strength. Link calmed slightly, remembering the special gift he had on his right hand. No longer worried, but calm and serene, Link walked across the bridge to somewhere he hadn't been for seven years.


	2. Memories

**Chapter II: Memories**

Link walked by the guard at the gate and gave a small nod. He ignored the buildings and walked into the center of Hyrule Castle Market.

It was just like he remembered. The same bustle of activity, same happy Hylians. There were also a couple travelers, Zoras, Gorons, and Gerudos, all here to help write the story of the Hero of Time. Link vaguely wondered how correct they would be. But for now, he walked for the castle, since that seemed to be where everyone was going.

Two Gerudos saw Link and their faces paled in awe. Link just nodded back. The Gerudos ran forward to the other Gerudos, and Link heard hushed, excited tones. By the time they reached the castle gate, all the Gerudos had their eyes locked on Link. It was making him uneasy.

Three guards stood at the gate. A long list was with them. Silently, they all filed into a line, and checked in with the guards, who apparently had everyone's name on the list. Most of the Gerudos were in front of or behind Link. He wished they would stop staring at him.

As it became Link's turn, he started to point towards his name, when the guard said, "You're Link, right?"

Slightly surprised, Link nodded.

"The messenger remembers you. You're the only one who didn't talk. Continue on."

Link walked through the gate and up the path. He remembered how as a kid he had snuck past the guards. It had been too easy. Nevertheless, it felt good to be welcomed as a guest then a sneak.

Link walked into the great hall. He had never been here. It was long, with about seventeen doors. A guard stood directing them to a certain door. Inside that door was another hallway, which led to several to rooms, one for each of them. Link took one off the left side.

It was a decent sized room, with a table, bed, shelves, and fireplace. Link set all his equipment except his sword and shield on the shelves, then left his room to find where they were going to write his story.

It was in a hallway on the other side of the great hall. Many of the guests had already gathered here, around eight scribes. The Gerudos spotted Link and moved away to give him room. Link moved closer in, and he felt their stares through the back of their head. So he looked over what was written.

They had started from the beginning of their tale, where he had met Zelda. However, he had come to Zelda to acquire the Ocarina of Time, and was already an adult. Link wanted to thrust his sword through the book. That wasn't even where his journey began!

Link tapped on the table. The Gorons who had been talking fell silent. Everyone was watching him, since they all knew that this traveler wouldn't speak. Link took a quill and scratched out the word adult and white robe. Then he wrote over them child and white tunic. He also added that there was a fairy accompanying the boy.

The scribes looked at Link in awe. "Strange," the scribe muttered. "That's almost how Princess Zelda described it, except it was a different color tunic."

"What color did she say it was?" a Zora asked. Everyone seemed to be staring at either Link or the scribes.

"I don't rightly remember," the scribe answered.

The newly revised paragraph said:

_The Princess stood in the courtyard, when there was a flash of light, and an adult child stood before her in a white robe tunic. The great warrior silently held out a white ocarina. There was a fairy accompanying the boy._

The scribe then announced, "Now, this is only a test. Each person will need to produce an account of their own. It can be turned in here until the end of the week. The following week, the story will be written. So off you go."

The guests wandered off to their rooms. The Gerudos watched Link every step until he closed his door. Link sat down at his table, a quill and a lot of parchment deposited there. He picked up the quill, and tried to write. He couldn't get started.

After about nine times, Link moved away from the table. He couldn't write.

_How am I supposed to write about this?_ Link wondered to himself. _If only I could just make it appear…wait, I could do that…yes, there's no reason not to, my name's not in it…yes, why not?_

Link moved over to his equipment. He picked up a small, old, green book. Link flipped it open gently, and read. It was Link diary, one he had started when he had left the forest. He had bought it in the market, and had written his story from when he had met Navi. Then he had met Princess Zelda the next day. It contained his full account of travels, battles, and sightings of his journey.

Link smiled to himself. He had his account.

Link left Hyrule Castle and went down to the market. He had been running low on bombs, since he was always making rocks go flying into the air (set a bomb next to one of the Shiekah rocks in OoT and watch). He went into the bazaar and replenished his stock. Then Link went back outside. He felt an urge to return to the Temple of Time and take the Master Sword, but Link squashed that thought. Instead he wandered into the shooting gallery.

Inside there were several of the travelers. Each was taking turns trying to hit a bull's-eye 100 paces away. Some of them spotted Link.

One of the Gorons said, "Hey, it's that guy who went against all our word! How about you try?"

Apparently, the others didn't think that Link had any thing to prove his side. But Link was here to shoot his bow, which he had brought along. He didn't want trouble.

"How 'bout it?" the attendant asked. Link nodded and paid him twenty rupees. "How many paces do you want it?"

"Make it 120!" some of the other castle guests shouted.

"120 then?" the attendant asked. Link made a gesture to scoot it farther back.

"130?"

Farther.

"140?"

Farther.

"150?"

Farther.

"200?"

Link nodded. The attendant, slightly thinking Link was nuts, did as he was asked. The other guests watched silently, thinking Link was about to disprove himself.

Link set an arrow to his bow, but didn't raise it. Instead he stared down his target. Everyone silently watched Link, just standing there with his bow pointed downward.

Then Link flicked his bow up and released. It caught everyone by surprise.

Thud. The arrowhead hit straight in the center of the target. It was silent. Then some of the townspeople cheered. The Gorons and Zoras that were there joined them, but the Hylian guests that were there didn't.

Instead, of them challenged, "Can you do it again?"

Without even looking, Link nocked an arrow and shot. It pierced his other arrow right down the middle.

By now even the Hylian guests joined in the clapping a little, but were still grumpy. Link was awarded a hundred rupee prize, and he left the shooting gallery. The other castle guests joined him on the way to the castle.

"Where did you learn to shoot like that?" one of the Zoras asked. Link pointed to himself. The Zora grinned.

"By the way," one of the Hylians started, "Where did you come up with the idea that the Hero of Time used to be child in a white tunic?"

Link gave him a wink, stating that he would know soon enough. The rest of the guests pestered him to know, but Link simply refused. As they approached their rooms, they all tried to get some sleep, as the sun began to set. Link tossed and turned in his bed for an hour, before deciding that there would be no sleep. He contented himself by playing the fairy ocarina for a while, next he decided to explore the castle. He got his bow, hookshot, and ocarina, and left his room.

As Link approached the great hall, he counted eight guards in it. Link quietly nocked his bow, and shot a Light Arrow towards one of the corners. It produced a light aura which gently radiated. The guards gathered round it. Link snuck behind them. He smirked when he saw one of the guards knocked down by the aura. He hadn't been good lately.

Link found himself in the scribe's writing room. He climbed out the window here, and used his hookshot to safely reach the ground. He hovered above a bush a while before dropping down. Link loved to wear his hover boots. He walked across the grass, staying low to avoid guards. He shot another Light Arrow away; it caught the guards' attention. They laughed as the aura knocked two guards off their feet. Link ran silently past them.

He approached a stone corridor. It was then Link realized where he was; the courtyard. Link looked cautiously around the corner.

Princess Zelda stood in the middle of the flowers, looking skyward. She was praying.

Link's mouth hung slightly open. She was a vision to him. Link closed his mouth abruptly. She looked so beautiful he could've stayed there forever. Quietly, he listened to her.

"Please," Zelda prayed to the Goddesses, "Give me some sign that the Hero of Time lives."

Link felt his heart melt. She hadn't forgotten him! She wanted to know if he was alive! Link pulled his head back and lay against the wall. Then he had an idea. He used his hookshot to reach the roof over the corridor. He crawled over the roof and looked down. Zelda had looked downward and was thinking to herself. Silently, Link shot a Light Arrow, after that he hid.

Zelda's face showed surprise at the arrow that landed at her feet. It produced a light aura. Zelda knew what type of arrow it was. She looked up at the roof. She didn't see anything. As Zelda was looking around, Link softly played the Song of Time. When he finished, he looked down at her. She was looking upward, but away from him. She looked much happier, and Link caught her mouth, "Thank you Goddesses."

Link slid down off the roof. He sneaked back to his room, and lay down on his bed. He drifted softly off to sleep, and dreamed of happier times.


	3. Unexpected Events

**Chapter III: Unexpected Events**

Link woke up early the next morning. The next few days, passed slowly by, with Link found either in the market or his room, taking care of his weapons. However, two days before the week was over, thirty-seven guards walked into the guest hallway, yelling that they were going to have a surprise inspection that morning. The hallway became chaos.

Link had just been walking out of his room when he heard. He swiftly dashed back inside, and made his bed, lit a fire and burned any trash around his room, organized his weapons on the shelves, stuffed his diary in his boot, and walked back outside.

The guards were going by two's to everyone's room. Some of the guests were panicked, while others were confused.

"Princess Zelda reported two days ago she believed the Hero of Time was somewhere in the castle," one of the guards said. He held up an arrow. "This arrow produced an aura of light."

Link's face paled. They were looking for him! The Gerudos looked strangely at Link. He shrugged. Link ran back in his room and performed Fayore's wind. He transported all his items except his sword, shield, and bow to the forest temple entrance. Link once again left his room. Two guards were coming his way. Most of the other guests who were checked looked relieved. Some others hadn't been, including most of the Gerudos. The Gerudos looked frightened. Link guessed they had been 'borrowing' stuff.

"Please escort us inside your room," one of the guards said. Link opened his door and let them inside. It was spotless, except for his bow which sat on a shelf. One of the guards checked the room, while the other seemed to take interest in his bow.

The guard checked his bed, underneath it, in the trash can, in the nightstand, under it, and every nook and cranny there was, even the cracks in the stone walls. The other guard picked up the bow, handling it. He inspected it, checking. He pulled the string back, and then relaxed it. He nocked an arrow, pulled back, and subsequently relaxed it. Obviously he was checking for the range of the bow.

"Well, this room is alright," the guard said. The one holding his bow set it back on the shelf.

"How long have you had that?" the guard asked Link. Link held up four fingers. The guard nodded and they both left. Link sighed. It hadn't been good to lie, but he didn't want trouble. Besides, how was he to explain that through the time process with the Master Sword that everything he found as a kid was fourteen years old? The items he found as an adult were actually seven years old.

Link left his room. The Gerudos were being searched now. The other guests looked as though they didn't want to stay. Link agreed. He left the castle and went to the market. There he indulged in simple little games to distract himself. He decided to turn in the diary tomorrow.

Something in Link flipped, and he turned around. A man had just been stabbed by a thief. Everyone in the market cried in outrage. Before Link realized what had happened, he had the man pinned against the wall with his left hand, and his sword at the man's throat. The thief was shocked for a second, then somersaulted and tried to kick Link in the stomach.

Link jumped to the side and took out his shield. He couldn't kill the thief, but he could knock him out. Link picked the thief up by the foot and tossed him. If it weren't for his golden gauntlets, Link could never have done that.

The thief caught himself and ran at Link. Link simple smashed his shield into the thief's face, stunning him. Link smashed him in the face a couple more times, and the thief fell unconscious. Then two guards arrived. One took the thief away, while the other took the dead man to the graveyard.

It just became apparent to Link that everyone was watching him. He put his sword and shield away and speed-walked to the castle. Link didn't like being the center of attention. He walked into his room and flopped down on the bed.

Link played the ocarina and returned his weapons to the shelves. He picked up a mask. It was the Fierce Deity mask. Link slowly remembered his adventure in Termina, and the attack against Majora's Mask.

Only Link and Zelda ever knew he had gone and left. But then, he had been constantly resetting time, so to everyone but him, only three days had passed. Link looked at the other masks he had acquired from Termina. Hyrule and Termina didn't even know each other existed, except in books. He had heard that if one traveled across a sea that lay behind Lake Hylia you could reach Termina in seven days. Link preferred the clock way. Why did everything have to be seven?

Hyrule and Termina, linked by a hero, the Hero of Time.

Link spent the rest of the day in his room. The next morning, he grabbed his diary delicately. He walked out of his room, and across to the scribe's writing room. There were almost all the guests there, turning in copies of their accounts. One of the Gorons spotted Link.

"Hey, what do you have there?" the Goron asked, pointing to the green book. The others turned to see him. It had already been pretty quiet, but now it was even quieter. Link wished they wouldn't stare at him.

Link walked to the eldest of the scribes and stood hesitantly. Should he give them his diary? After a moment of thought, Link handed it gently to the scribe.

"Thank you," the scribe said with a smile. He flipped it open to the first page and started to read. The smile faded from his face. When he looked back up, it was replaced with awe. He looked back at the book, did a bit of magic on it, and looker back up.

"The first page of this book," the scribe whispered the silent group. "Is dated seven years ago. Now, would anyone like to guess how old the magic said this book is?"

"Seven," one of the Hylians guessed. The scribe shook his head.

"Do you know?" the scribe asked Link. He shook his head. "This book is fourteen years old."

"What does that mean? How can that be? How can it be made seven years ago, yet be fourteen years old?" one of the Zoras asked.

"Because," the scribe stated, "This young man here found the diary of the Hero of Time."

Silence.

"Only the Hero himself could've done such wonders to this…" the scribe muttered, reading some more.

"Does that mean that he…" the Zora left off, staring at Link. Everyone had their eyes on Link except the scribe who was reading the book.

"No," the scribe answered, "This book says that he came out of the forest, accompanied by a fairy called Navi."

"So that's why you knew the Hero of Time was a kid with a fairy," a Hylian awed. "You had read parts of the diary!"

Link nodded in response. The room was silent a bit longer, and then everyone cheered. Link grinned in relief. They hadn't known. He had been lucky, that Zora almost got him.

There were shouts of "We have the Hero of Time's diary!" and other phrases. Link grinned with them. The scribe asked for their attention.

"Now we won't be publishing the actual diary," the scribe explained. "We'll rewrite a copy into a third-person view. We don't want to publish an original diary, or any for that matter. No, we'll take the information in here and write it into a third-person view. Also, I think that the Princess will enjoy coming down here to see this personally."

"You mean that the Princess will come down here?" one of the Gerudos asked.

"That is correct. I'll be sending someone right now," the scribe answered, and one of the younger scribes dashed off.

Everyone was making last minute preparations, cleaning themselves up. Link straightened his hat a bit, and tried to hide towards the back of the group. But the elder scribe brought him towards the front saying that "Princess Zelda will want to see you."

Everyone straightened up as the door opened. Link was slightly worried that he might be recognized by Zelda. She did have a good memory, Link told himself. Maybe he could pretend to be someone else? He trashed that idea.

Princess Zelda walked in, followed by the younger scribe. She smiled at the guests, and then turned to the elder scribe.

"Can I see this diary?" she asked him. The elder scribe gave it to her. She opened it and flipped through the pages. Link knew she would recognize it; she had seen him writing in it once.

"Who found this?" Zelda asked. The elder scribe smiled.

"This young man here had come across it," the scribe said pointing to Link. She turned to see Link for the first time. Link felt his temperature rise.

Zelda stared into his eyes for a while, then spoke, "Link? Is that you?"

Link panicked internally. Unfortunately for Link, this is the one time he didn't want this to happen.

The Triforce of Courage sensed Link's panic and came to life, glowing on his glove. It calmed him, but Link still knew one thing: _I'm caught._

Everyone stared at Link's hand. Then Link performed something he hadn't done for a while. He reached for his back, and shot an arrow from his bow while it was on his back. The arrow launched into the ground, and released a Light Arrow. It didn't hurt anyone, but anyone who was Link to the Triforce, whether Sage or a Bearer, could see through it.

Link used the sudden burst of Light to run out the door. The brightness only lasted a second or two, and soon Link had guards running after him with the guests, trying to stop the Hero of Time from leaving.

Link ran into his room and grabbed his stuff. He turned to the door and left. Everyone was running down the hallway towards him. Link pulled out his hookshot and shot towards a window. He flew up and squeezed out the window. Out on the roof, Link climbed onto one of the walkways. Guards were already there, trying to reach.

"Wait!" one of them shouted, "Please don't go!"

Link used his hookshot and flew to the other side of the castle roof. He put on his hover boots and walked across a gap. He almost reached the end to where he could jump down to the bridge. But then he ran into Zelda, who was waiting for him.

"Link," she whispered, "Please don't go."

Link was now stuck. He didn't want to stay at the castle and be lauded with glory and fame. But he didn't want to leave Zelda either.

"Link, I haven't seen you in seven years," Zelda whispered again. "I miss you."

A guard was fast approaching them.

Link dropped his head. Zelda looked down sadly. Then Link looked up and lifted her chin gently. He looked her in the eyes. Zelda slowed nodded.

Then Link ran by and jumped. He landed on the draw bridge and rolled. He pulled out the fairy ocarina and played. Then he vanished.

The guard walked up to Zelda. "I'm sorry we couldn't catch him," the guard panted. "We know you've been looking for the Hero of Time for a long time."

"Don't worry," Zelda said, hope in her voice. "He said he would come back when I invited him."


	4. Holy Meeting

**Chapter IV: Holy Meeting**

Link ran across Hyrule Field. How could he have been so dumb? Zelda had wanted him to stay. _She missed him._ Why did he leave then? Even telling her that he would return when asked with his eyes seemed idiotic. Link could've killed himself right there and then.

Link did not stop running until the reached the edge of the forest. Word would be everywhere now. The Hero of Time had been revealed in the castle. Soon everyone would be searching for the legendary Hero of Time.

Link stopped running sat down on a tree stump, panting. He needed time to think to himself alone. Then he sensed it again. Link's head snapped up. He began to follow it, and almost instantly it nearly killed him. But then it embraced him, and Link was allowed to continue.

It was much stronger this time. Link followed the embracing sense deeper into the forest. Then he spotted the three girls from before, each sitting on tree stumps at a table, drinking tea and talking amongst themselves.

Link felt he was intruding upon something, turned around to leave. But then the green haired girl spotted him and said, "You can join us, Link!"

Link felt it would be rude to object, so walked forward and sat on one of the tree stumps.

"Our Chosen Hero seems lost," the blue haired woman said. "Perhaps some tea will help."

She poured some tea and gave it to Link. He nodded in appreciation. He took a sip and marveled at it. It seemed magical, since it restored his health and soothed his nerves. But he still didn't know who they were or why they called him Chosen Hero.

"He still looks lost," the green haired girl said. "Maybe we should hang him by his toenails."

Link's eyes widened in shock. The green haired girl laughed.

"Now, now," the red haired woman said. "That is not the way to treat our Chosen Hero. You hang him by his feet, remember?"

Link felt a bit panicked. The three giggled at him.

"Chosen Hero, don't you know who we are?" the blue haired woman asked him.

"I don't think he does," the green haired girl answered for him. "He's all courage and no wisdom."

Then Link realized who he was sitting with and nearly spit out his tea. The three in front of him were Din, Nayru, and Fayore.

"I think he's figured it out," Din spoke.

"Perhaps he'll actually talk now," Nayru speculated.

"No, he's not brave enough," Fayore observed. "He's scared of talking, otherwise he would."

Fayore was right. Link was scared of talking. And he didn't think he could to the three Goddesses, either.

"It's all right Link," Fayore supported. "We know that the Kokiri Mido is not an upholder of the law."

"Yes, we have punished him specially," Din added.

"I think we made get lost in the Lost Woods for seven days," Nayru smiled.

Link smiled. The idea of Mido being lost for seven days was a good one. But why did everyone have to be seven?

"What did Mido do to the Chosen Hero again?" Din asked Nayru.

"He claimed that the Chosen Hero had said a bad word and told him never to speak again," Nayru explained.

"But come on, Link, please talk?" Fayore asked.

Link sat there, with all three Goddesses staring at him. So very slowly, Link spoke, "Okay." His voice cracked and dry, sounding nothing like the childhood voice he remembered.

"Link's voice is not good sounding, he is much better looking," Fayore teased. Link blushed slightly.

"Now, now Fayore," Nayru warned, "Chosen Hero's voice hasn't been used in a long time. It ought to sound funny for a while until he uses it enough. And it's going to be much deeper that he remembers."

"But now that the Chosen Hero will speak, it is time to discuss," Din said with a light tone.

"Link, do you know why we appeared to you?" Fayore asked.

"No," Link answered. It didn't sound as bad as last time.

"That's because we're worried about you," Din answered.

"You seem to be afraid to be the Hero of Time," Nayru explained.

Link thought back on what he had done for the past seven years. He had shunned his destiny in a way.

"So we thought you needed a bit of help," Fayore brightened.

"And know that you know that, you're going to go back to the castle, right?" Nayru asked.

"Of course," Link answered. His voice wasn't cracked or dried anymore. He didn't know what he had learned, other than to step up to his role, but he wasn't about to disappoint Goddesses.

Maybe I was wrong, maybe his voice is as nice as he is good looking," Fayore giggled. Link blushed slightly again.

"But when you go, you'll be wearing your Fierce Deity mask, won't you Chosen Hero?" Nayru asked.

"Yes."

The three smiled at him. "Now we'll be going. Fayore will visit you occasionally," Din said.

"Bye-bye!" Fayore waved.

Link blinked, and the table and Goddesses were gone. He sat a moment longer, and then reached for the Fierce Deity mask. He put it on, and Link changed. He looked around. The mask was asking him to fight evil. The mask always talked to Link when he wore it. It had a mind of its own. While it couldn't influence him, it could talk to him.

**_Hello. Been a while. Now let's go. I want to see this Zelda you seem to care for._**

That was another drawback. It knew his thoughts. OniLink stood up and started to run towards the castle, his curved sword on his back.


	5. The Warrior Contest

**Chapter V: The Warrior Contest**

Link arrived in Hyrule Castle Town that night. The guard looked at him funny, but let him by.

"Going to the swordsman contest?" the guard asked.

"Yes," Link answered. He grinned pleasantly, but the grin unsettled the guard.

"It's up at the castle. Don't cause trouble."

Link continued forwards. People either gave him frightened or interested faces. Link enjoyed being OniLink. It gave strength to do what he couldn't before, such as walk past the market without anyone recognizing him.

When he reached the castle, Link drew surprised looks from the soldier. After all, no one had seen a white skinned, 7 foot Hylian with paint on his face, a tunic and cone-shaped hat with a great curved sword strapped in a sheath to his back. But they let him though nonetheless.

**_Now let's go see this Princess Zelda. She's always in your thoughts._**

Not yet, Link told the mask. We've got to win the contest first.

**_Oh, terrifying, really. I thought we were supposed to see Zelda, not win a contest._**

The winner gets to meet Zelda personally, Link thought. The mask didn't answer. Link continued on. He entered the courtyard and found the contest. He entered himself as OniLink. The guard working the sign-up counter didn't notice how close the name was to Link. The guard looked up at him trying to recognize him. Link still had familiar features, even as the Fierce Deity.

"You're number 32," the guard said. "You start over there."

"Alright," Link answered, and went to a ring, where 31 was waiting.

The crowd watching the 32 fighters was huge. Zelda was on the other side, watching from a window with some of the council. Link caught her trying to recognize him. Link smiled to himself. It was funny to watch people try to recognize him and stare when they thought he wasn't looking.

**_Can we start now?_**

Shut up, Link told the mask. It obeyed for once.

An honor guard stood ready to begin the contest. He read off the names of the contestants, and then raised a decorated spear into the air. No one had noticed how close OniLink was to Link, except perhaps Zelda.

The guard dropped the spear. Link's opponent, a Hylian equipped with a sword and shield with a spear on his back, charged and swung the sword at Link's head.

Have you seen Predator the movie, where Swartzeneggar tries to beat a Predator over the head with a metal pipe? If you didn't, then continue reading. This fight is somewhat like a Predator against a Human.

The sword clanged harmlessly off Link's head. The Hylian swung again. The sword shattered. Somewhat frightened of Link, the Hylian took his spear out and waited.

Link moved forward and swiftly grabbed the Hylian by the arm. He picked him up and tossed him into a wall. There were no out of bounds rules, so you had to knock your opponent out. Link ran forward and punched the Hylian. Instant knockout.

Link looked out at the other fighters. Their matches were ending. Soon the next match would begin. Link's next opponent was a Goron. A Goron was about as strong as Link, so he would have to careful.

The guard dropped the spear. The Goron moved forward and punched Link in the face. This time it hurt. Link backed up a bit and took out his sword. He jammed it into the ground, and threw himself at the Goron. The Goron fell onto his back, and Link landed on him. He punched the Goron. The Goron punched Link back and rolled over, so that the Goron was on top of Link. Link kicked him ten feet back. The Goron rolled itself into a ball and rolled along the walls until spikes came out, and after that it charged Link.

Link picked up his sword. Right as the Goron approached him, Link swung the great curved sword. It sent the Goron flying back like a baseball. The Goron landed painfully on its head and drifted out of consciousness.

Link's next opponent was another Hylian, who wielded two curved blades. Link drew his sword.

"You're not as fast as me," the Hylian warned.

**_Prepare to lose like fish out of water, you big-eared piece of…junk!_**

The guard dropped the spear. The Hylian made a speedy charge and brought his swords in arcs. Clang! Link's sword caught both. He was _much_ faster. Link swung his sword in a circle, and flipped the Hylian's swords out of his hands and into the ground. Link punched him and knocked him out.

**_That was too easy. Where's a real fight?_**

Link got a bye the next round, and watched. Then it was his turn to fight the other finalist.

The two stepped up to the ring. Link grinned devilishly at his opponent, who grinned evilly back.

"Our last contestants are OniLink versus Dark Link!" the guard announced. Then he dropped the spear.

Neither moved. Then they both charged, and met sword with sword. Link swung in an arc at Dark Link. Dark Link jumped to the side and brought his sword upwards. Link grabbed Dark Link's arm, twisted it behind his back, and broke it, flipping Dark Link onto his face. Dark Link got up and ran up Link, then jumped and brought his sword down on Link, smashing him down. Link jumped to his feet and took two vertical swings at him. Dark Link moved to the side and hit Link in the face with his hilt.

Dark Link was about to stab Link in the face when Link rolled to the side and thrust his sword upwards at Dark Link, sending him spiraling into the air. Link jumped up twice and kept Dark Link afloat with thrusts, then let him fall to the dirt. Dark Link leaped up into the air performing a spin. It caught Link and brought him up into the air, hitting him repeatedly. Dark Link dropped to the ground and Link came crashing down on him, thrusting his sword in his chest. It knocked Dark Link a few feet back.

Both stood watching each other. Then Dark Link pointed his sword at Link's face. Link grinned, and brought his hand to his face.

**_Wait, you're gonna take me off? No! NO! I FORBI-_**

Link removed the mask and put it away. The crowd gasped, and Zelda was half-way through a heart attack. But Link didn't see any of this. He and Dark Link only saw each other, and a battlefield.

They charged again. Dark Link tried to swing his sword at Link like a bat, but Link somersaulted forward. While he was on his back, Link leaped out of the somersault and kicked Dark Link in the face. Dark Link's hand went up to his face. Link jumped at Dark Link and forced him into two somersaults, then stopped, Link kneeling above Dark Link. Link brought his sword high above his head, then sent it flying down. Dark Link brought his shield up and blocked it. He kicked Link off of him, and jumped to his feet. Link twirled and brought his hilt into Dark Link's face.

While Dark Link was distracted, Link charged his sword quick, and then thrust it through Dark Link's head. It sent Dark Link flying back. Link quickly nocked an arrow and shot Dark Link in the stomach with a Light Arrow. Injured, but not down, Dark Link jumped his feet. He charged Link, but then stopped and tossed a bomb at Link. It blew up and knocked Link onto his back.

Link jumped to his feet, only to realize that the explosion had knocked his sword and shield into the window Zelda was watching from. He looked at Dark Link angrily.

But Link and Dark Link have something of an honor code. So Dark Link tossed his sword and shield aside. They both charged each other. Link grabbed Dark Link by the shoulders and slammed him into the wall. Dark Link did a Shadow Technique and reversed himself, so that his back was against the wall instead of his front. Dark Link grabbed Link by the neck and delivered and uppercut in Link's stomach. Link leaned forward and brought his fist right under Dark Link's chin, knocking him back.

Dark Link grabbed Link by his feet and swung him into a wall. Link landed on his feet and jumped at Dark Link. He delivered a jump kick to Dark Link. Dark Link flinched, and Link got up and grabbed Dark Link by the shoulder with his left hand. He then jabbed Dark Link in the stomach a few times, afterwards he smashed Dark Link's head into the wall.

Dark Link turned around. He looked around, and grabbed a metal stick. He swung at Link and hit him squarely in the jaw. It knocked Link back. Link got on his feet. Dark Link swung again. Link rolled underneath it and jumped up. In midair he grabbed Dark Link by the head. Link flipped in midair, leading Dark Link by the head. Link landed on his feet and slammed Dark Link into the ground using the momentum from the flip.

Link backed away and took out his bow, equipping a Light Arrow. Dark Link got up and took out a shadow bow, equipping a Shadow Arrow. Both stood fifty paces away from each other, waiting for the other to make a mistake.

It was dead silent. Ganondorf could have appeared just then and no one would have cared. Link watched his opponent carefully. Then he looked away.

Dark Link shot. Instinctively, Link rolled to the side, stood up and shot. He hit Dark Link right between the eyes. The Light Arrow burst its aura out.

Dark Link dropped to his knees, looked angrily at Link, and then vanished into the shadows.

Link lowered his bow and sighed. He was exhausted. He was cut all over, and would have liked to fall asleep right there. But then the crowd roared, and Link remembered that he had just won a contest.

The honor guard, joined by two others, walked forward. They escorted an exhausted, hurt, but nonetheless grinning Link to Zelda. Once Link was inside the castle, he couldn't hear the crowd anymore, but knew that he was going to be the main topic for gossip for a long time.

They arrived in Princess Zelda's lookout. Link walked forward and took a knee. Zelda signaled for the guards to leave. They left and Zelda looked down at Link.

"You can get up, you know," she teased slightly. Link stood up and looked her in the eye.

To Link's great surprise, Zelda brought her lips to his. Link stood in the embrace a moment, before he kissed her back and put her arms around him.

Zelda hesitantly pulled herself away. They stood looking each in the eye for a long time. Link felt in heaven. There was no possible way that this wasn't happening. It was real. Zelda cared for him. He cared for her. He loved her.

"Link," Zelda asked, "Will you stay this time?" Her voice sounded full of hope, hope and joy.

"Yes, I will," Link answered, and kissed her.

A/N: It's not done yet! Link still has to finish accepting his role as the Hero of Time! Besides, I haven't made the main enemy in my story come yet. But that fight will be even better.


	6. Troubles Beginning

**Chapter VI: Troubles Beginning**

Link mumbled softly underneath his breath, trying to stay asleep. Eventually, he drifted from dream to reality, and woke up, rubbing his eyes. He was lying in a lime green-sheeted poster bed, in a room with a dark green carpet, a window with dark green curtains, walls painted lime green, and a table and two chairs (not painted green, much to Link's relief).

Link looked around the room and smiled inwardly to himself. Zelda must have brought him in here. Across the room, lying against the wall, was his sword and shield. Link's eyes brightened, and he jumped out of the bed and ran over to his weaponry. He strapped them to his back, just like he had for seven years, and looked around for the rest of his stuff. It was all jumbled in a bag by the foot of the bed. Link dashed over and selected his fairy ocarina, bow, and most importantly, his hammer. Link loved to use the hammer.

I mean he _loved_ to swing the hammer.

Link had equipping himself when he felt something come and embrace him.

"Where are you going, Hero?" Link turned to see Fayore standing behind him, her hands behind her back and standing like a drill sergeant.

"Um, I don't know," Link answered, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yes you do," Fayore corrected, wagging her finger at him. "You can't lie to a Goddess. You were going to leave the castle, weren't you?"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Maybe." Link slumped his shoulders slightly. Fayore shook her head and folded her arms.

"Link, you can't leave now."

Link stood looking at his shoes, then his head shot up with a smirk, and he asked, "Wait, if you know everything, then why were you just make me confess? Ha!" Link pointed his finger at her. Fayore smiled and shifted her weight to one side.

"Because the look on your face is worth it every time," she replied, and laughed at the incredulous look on Link's face. Link sat down in a chair, folded his arms, and set his foot on his knee.

"Alright, so why do I have to stay?" Link asked, wanting to leave and have an adventure.

"Because an enemy is at the doorstep," Fayore said, and pointed out the window. Link walked over and stuck his head out the window. A noble was riding a horse and was entering the castle.

"You sure that's an enemy?" Link asked, pulling his head back in the window. Fayore had left. Link stood around for a while, fighting with himself. Finally he growled at himself and left through the door. He ran through the castle, and met seven dead ends on his way to the Great Hall. He jogged over to the large wooden doors, and put his ear to it. He heard Zelda and the noble arguing inside, and quietly opened the door and walked inside.

The noble stood before Zelda, who sat on a throne. The room was rectangular, leading down to Zelda and two thrones with a red carpet. Six pillars on each side decked the walls, while six soldiers stood to the side. The noble himself wore silken red cloth, which covered him head to foot. He carried no visible weapons on him. But he and Zelda were arguing hotly about something. Link made as to stand by Zelda, watching the soldiers in the room tremble slightly at his appearance. Zelda's eyes flicked briefly to him, then went back to the noble.

Link was right behind the noble when he spotted something. A knife in the boot. Link stared at it skeptically, and then looked at Zelda with a look of disbelief on his face.

"I will be recognized!" the noble shouted, and pulled the knife from his boot. He rushed forward to stab Zelda.

Link reached forward and grabbed the noble's right arm. He spun the noble in the circle so Link was in between him and Zelda. Link's sword and shield were out, and he braced his shield defensively in front of him, with his sword pointed at the ground behind him. Out of the corner of his eye, Link saw soldiers bring their arms to bear, and he swore he could hear Zelda's heart beating, along with a sharp gasp.

The noble turned towards Link, angry, and shouted, "How dare a commoner touch me!"

"He's no peasant," Zelda declared, her voice bursting with anger and contempt. "He's Link, the Hero of Time."

The noble looked darkly at Link, and then said, "Then he'll be the Hero no more!" He pulled out another knife with his free hand, and attacked Link, bringing his knives in an arc. Link rolled under, and kicked him in the chest, knocking the noble on his back. The noble got back on his feet and threw one of the knives. It jammed itself in Link's shield, and Link dropped his shield. He swung at the noble diagonally, and the noble blocked it with his knife. Then, while their weapons were engaged, the noble started punching Link in the face multiple times. After the tenth time, the noble stopped to see what damage he'd done. Link's face had no marks on it.

The noble freed his weapon and thrust it at Link. Link moved to the side, grabbed the noble's hand, twisted it to make him let go of the knife, then used the arm as a pole to spin around which broke the noble's arm, then landed on his feet behind the noble with his arm still in Link's grasp, and thrust his sword through the noble's back. It protruded through his chest, and the noble died seconds after.

More gasps from the spectators. Link pulled his sword out of him. The body fell to the ground, and Link caught it. He sheathed his sword, and picked the body up. Then he looked around, not quite sure what to do next. No one else seemed to know either. Finally, Zelda spoke up.

"Guards, please take care of the body for Link. Link, can I speak to you alone?" Zelda asked. Silently, everyone left, and they took the body with them. Zelda walked up to Link, calm and serene. Link began to realize that killing a noble may not have been the best idea, and started to panic, thinking Zelda was going to yell at him. Link braced himself silently, fear gripping him. The Triforce of Courage answered his fear with a glow, and Link felt calm again. He knew would get it from Zelda, however.

Zelda stopped when she was a foot away from him. She spotted the glowing Triforce of Courage on his right hand. She stared at it for a while, as if trying to wonder what he was afraid of. Then she closed her eyes, looked down, and smiled. Then she faced Link again and opened her eyes.

"Link, I'm not angry at you," she told him. "I'm happy and thankful you did that." Then she kissed him, and Link didn't feel the Triforce of Courage fade away; he was too busy kissing her back. Link felt wonderful, and he broke away only because Zelda did.

Zelda turned away and sighed. Link tilted his head perplexed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, thinking Zelda might be lying just to make him feel better.

"Well," Zelda said, still facing away from Link, "It's just that if he would attempt that, others might as well." The second she finished, there was a great clamorous noise. Zelda turned inquisitively to see what had happened. There was a pillar, five torches, and seventeen chairs in front of the locked door. Then she saw Link running over to increase the barricade's power by bringing the spare throne. Zelda saw Link running with the throne towards the barricaded door, and started laughing hysterically. Link stopped half-way there and turned to see what Zelda was laughing about.

"Link," Zelda gasped, who had stopped laughing, "How we get back through?" Then she started to laugh again. Link looked from her to the barricaded door, then at the throne he was holding, and started to chuckle as well. He dropped the throne, and it landed on his foot. A throne landing on your foot is going to hurt, and Link immediately stopped laughing, yelled in pain, and hopped around holding the injured foot. This caused Zelda to laugh only more.

After Link stopped hopping around, and Zelda got her laughter under control, Link removed the barricade from the door. He held the door open for her, and watched her depart and head for her chambers. Link sighed quietly, and went back inside the throne room. There he picked up his shield and sword, and then he left to the castle courtyard. There, Link took out an ocarina. He softly started to play Zelda's Lullaby, which turned into the Song of Time.

Link had been playing for about an hour when he spotted something. There was a very large spider sitting in front of him. His one thought was, _why do I play with my eyes closed?_

The spider attacked. Link rolled under it and thrust his sword through its belly, killing it. More spiders came out from on top the wall. Link charged. He ran forward and drove his sword right between one of the spider's eyes. Another jumped down. Link knocked it away with his shield. Another ran at Link. Link made a false diagonal swipe, then slashed downward vertically, cutting the spider in two. A spider jumped on Link's back and started to tie him up with webbing. Before the spider could begin, though, Link's foot came up, and he kicked the spider onto its back. He twirled his sword and stabbed it through the spider into the dirt.

Another spider was approaching. Link removed his sword from the earth and threw it. It collided with the spider and impaled the spider to the tree, killing it. The last spider tried to sneak up behind Link now that he didn't have his sword. But Link loved to swing the hammer. He spun and brought the Megaton hammer down on the spider. It squashed it and sent spider parts and yellow flying. Link put his hammer away, and he started to smell smoke. He looked around, and saw the fire was coming from the direction of the castle entrance. Link gritted his teeth, pulled his sword out of the tree, and ran to meet this new disaster.

Link arrived at a battle scene. About two scores of skeleton warriors and spiders were assaulting the gate guard. Unfortunately, there was only a score of Hylian soldiers. Link ran forward to aid them. He took out his bow and shot off three arrows at three spiders, piercing them though the head. Then he put it away and took out his sword and shield. Link went up to fight a skeleton, and put his shield in front and brought his sword pointing low behind him, arching Link's back. He brought the sword up above him, and after that brought it back down on top of the enemy. It deflected off the skeleton's shield and kept going. Then Link raised his sword back up and it cut the skeleton in half. Link sheathed his sword and took out his hammer. He deflected a skeleton's slash, then, because he was holding the hammer in one hand, awkwardly made a powerful side-ways swing. It smashed through the skeleton's shield and him as well.

Link put his shield away. He jumped up at a spider and slammed the hammer down on it, sending more parts and blood flying. Link rose to his feet and twirled, bringing the hammer as he did into a jumping spider, knocking it into the castle wall and killing it. Link put the hammer away and took out just his sword, and started to fight holding it with two hands. Link ran forward. He parried a blow from a skeleton, and brought his hilt behind him to knock back another leaping spider. Then Link parried in front of him again, and swung his sword high in an arc at the skeleton. The skeleton blocked it, and Link spun in a circle, lowering as he did. He finished the spin and swung his sword low at the heels. It knocked the skeleton on its back. Link lifted his sword above his head, and shot it down through the skeleton's head.

The spider from behind bit Link's shoulder. It wasn't poisonous, but hurt all the same. Link grunted sharply, and spun rapidly. He spun fast enough the spider was still in midair when Link turned to face it. His sword flashed, and the spider finished it descent in two pieces. With much help, they drove back the monsters, which were wiped out.

The soldiers were cheering when an injured soldier burst forth from inside the gate.

"Hero Link, it was a distraction!" the soldier gasped, blood pouring from a head and shoulder injury. "A wizard appeared in the throne room! He defeated us, then took Her Highness and left!"

There was a sharp gasp from the soldiers and Link. The injured soldier, having lived long enough to tell his tale, collapsed and died. Gently, the other soldiers carried him away to bury him. Link stood on the bridge, tears quietly streaming. Zelda was gone.


	7. The Hero Within

**Chapter VII: The Hero Within**

Link continued to tear silently on the drawbridge, his sword and shield dropped. He looked down at the ground as the sun rose high in the noon sky. He felt something, but he didn't care.

"Link, why are you just standing there?" Fayore asked, appearing in front of Link. Link wiped his eyes with his glove.

"Aren't you going to do something?" Fayore pressed.

"Huh?" Link sobbed. Angry, Fayore picked up Link's shield and struck him in the forehead with it. Bang!

"OW!" was the first word to escape Link's lips as he clapped his hand to his forehead. "What'd you do that for?"

"SO THAT YOU WOULD COME TO YOUR SENSES!" Fayore shouted back, then folded her arms and shouted. Link cringed slightly, it's not fun to be yelled at by a Goddess, and he wiped all his tears away.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" Link asked, shifting his weight to his right foot and folding his arms as well, his eyes red slightly. Fayore smacked herself in the head.

"Go!" she said. "Find Zelda! Attack the wizard! Fight! Win! Kiss Zelda!" Link picked up his sword and shield and put them on his back. Fayore stood looking at Link the same way a mother does when her ignorant child understands. Unfortunately for Fayore the Goddess of Courage, Link was not the brightest light.

"But a simple sword and shield isn't enough!" Link protested. Fayore grabbed Link's hands and repeatedly smashed them into his stomach.

"Accept…your…destiny…be the Hero of Time!" Fayore insisted. Link finally comprehended what it was Fayore was saying. She wanted him to go get the Master Sword. He was supposed to return as the Hero of Time. He couldn't be just Link no matter what. Destiny wasn't going to let him go, it seemed.

"Fine, I'll go," Link agreed. Fayore sighed happily, and then vanished. Link stood awhile longer on the drawbridge, and then went to his room. Link threw the door open, and grabbed all his stuff that he could use. Such weapons were bombs, bomb-chus, the magic arrows, his hookshot, deku nuts, magic crystals of the Goddesses, the mirror shield, the Biggoron sword, his tunics, the iron boots, and the hover boots. He added them to his inventory, along with the Fierce Deity Mask. It was the only mask that fit him anymore. All of it was added with his bow, hammer, and ocarina. Link was geared to the teeth.

He had but one more weapon to get. Link took his long sword and its sheath and placed it on the bed, then left Hyrule Castle. Everyone watched Link go, as if in a trance, through the halls of the castle. They watched through windows as he walked down to the Temple of Time. Link stopped, looked at the Temple, took a deep breath, and walked in. The Triforce of Courage glowed with bravery. The soldiers throughout the castle cheered.

Link stood on the symbol of the Temple. He had teleported here many times through Ocarina, and the Prelude of Light still sung in his head. Link took a deep breath again, and walked sacredly up to the altar. There lay the three spiritual stones. The Door of Time was sealed, yet here on the altar was something Link hadn't seen for seven years: the Ocarina of Time. Link picked it up in his left hand, and put the instrument to his mouth. And, from memory he started to play the Song of Time. The music flowed flawlessly from the ocarina, and Link set the Ocarina of Time in his pack, and placed the Fairy Ocarina on the altar in place of it.

The Triforce above the Door of Time turned to its golden color. The door shifted, and it pulled to the left, revealing the passageway. Link stepped around the altar and walked to the passageway. Preserved in its pedestrial stood the Master Sword. Link walked up the stairs and set his hands on the handle. He lifted. The Master Sword did not move. Link tried again, and the Sword still did not budge. Link put all his strength into it, and over and over he tried to thrust the sword from its resting place. It did not obey.

Link let go of the sword. He slumped his shoulders and dropped his head, disappointment coursing throughout his being. _Why won't it lift?_ Link thought. _Why does the Master Sword not know me? Have I done something wrong?_ Then Link remembered something Fayore had said, "Be the Hero of Time!"

"I've defied my destiny, myself," Link muttered, raising his head, "I have left the Hero of Time to die and been just another person. I always wanted a normal life. But the Deku Tree knew I had to be different. That's why he called me and not Mido. That's why Zelda warmed to me so well. That's why I was able to achieve the Spiritual Stones. That's why I was chosen by the sword to be the Hero of Time, because I believed in myself.

"What an idiot I've been. I always wanted a normal life, but I always wanted to be a hero too. Being a hero is my normal life. I've been unknowingly denying what I've always wanted. That's why the Goddesses have appeared to me so many times. That's why I couldn't Zelda. But now I can…because I believe I am the Hero of Time!"

Link rushed forward, grabbed the hilt, and pulled. The sword came free. Link was once again the Hero of Time, and Chosen Hero of the Goddesses. Link let go of the sword with his right hand, leaving it in his right. Link studied the old friend carefully. Yet nothing was wrong with his blade, the Master Sword, just like nothing would be for eternity. Link swung the blade experimentally a few times, stepping and swinging. Then he took out the mirror shield in his right hand, and he was ready. So was trouble.

A soldier ran through the Temple entrance. "Hero," he cried, "The monsters have returned to finish what they started!" Link nodded at the soldier, and they ran out to the drawbridge.

Now threescore skeletons and spiders had come. Against the score of guards, this is not a very good thing. The soldiers fought with might, joined with the fast young messenger soldier, against the onslaught. Then Link came up from behind, the Master Sword and Mirror Shield ready. He swung the Master sword horizontally, and cut off the head of a skeleton. Half the monsters turned to face the Hero of Time. Link raised his shield and deflected a blow from a skeleton, then an attacking spider limb. Link moved his shield out of the way, and swung vertically, slicing a spider in two. He brought the sword back up, and it bounced off the shield of a skeleton captain. Link jumped up on the skeleton's shoulders, raised his word with both hands, and swung it down at the skeleton captain's head as fast as he could. The skeleton shield came up and stopped the strike, and Link back flipped onto the ground. He took a knee and left his word out behind him. It charged and glowed blue. The skeleton captain looked to see what he was doing, and lowered its shield.

Link's sword charged red. He unleashed. Link got to his feet and started to spin in brilliant circles with his sword flying around him, an orange tail following it. It cut the skeleton captain in half. A spider jumped at Link, only to cut across the stomach in two. Five more monsters fell victim to Link's spin before he stopped. Link regained his balance, shook all traces of dizziness, and returned to battle. He stabbed his sword up into the air and caught a spider in the middle. Link swung his sword to sling the spider off. Then he made a blow with his shield and knocked a skeleton's shield into its own face. Link did it two more times to stun it, then turned around to see an incoming sword. Link rolled underneath, and got to his feet, followed by a spin with which Link banged the skeleton in the face with his hilt, drawing his word back. Link shot the sword forward and finished off the first skeleton, then turned and kicked the second in the chest, followed by a diagonal swipe.

Link put his sword and shield away and took out the ever infamous bow. He hooked a Light arrow to it and shot. It pierce three skeletons and two spiders, killing them. The aura produced shot out and burned the monsters. When the aura faded, Link was on top of the castle, looking down towards the drawbridge. Link yelled at the top of his voice, and all the soldiers withdrew. Link looked to his right a boiling pot of who-knows-what. He kicked it over, and watched it fall down to disintegrate all the monsters except ten. Link took his sword out and jumped off the wall. He came racing down, and pointed his sword downward. It landed going through a spider, and Link rolled as he reached the ground, flinging the dead spider at a skeleton. Link kicked up out of the roll, and his feet made contact with the skeleton's face, which afterward made contact with the Master Sword.

Then Link heard a noise behind him. He dropped to his stomach, and looked up to see a volley of arrows lunge forward to finish off his enemies. Link stood up and sheathed the Master Sword and put away the Mirror Shield. The soldiers ran up to Link and cheered, patting him on the back, glorying him, and shouting battle cries. After the general celebration died down, Link got ready to leave.

"See to it that the gate guard is doubled," Link commanded a captain. The captain saluted, and ran off to find an extra score of men. Link watched him run inside the castle, then left on his own journey. Two feet out of Hyrule Castle Town he stopped. Link didn't know where the heck to go. Suddenly the wind blew, and Link looked in the direction it blew towards. The wind blew towards Death Mountain. Link shifted his gear, and jogged off, ready to rescue Zelda.


	8. The Hero of Time Fights Back

**Chapter VIII: The Hero of Time Fights Back**

Link entered Kakariko Village and looked around. No one seemed to really care that he was here, and that made his passage to Death Mountain easier. He walked past the guards, and pulled out his sword and shield. As usual, two spiders sat on the trail. Link ran up and jump slashed the first, slicing it neatly in two. Then Link saw a boulder rolling ever so nicely down the mountain at him. He ran behind a rock and moved out of the way. When it passed by, he continued the trek up the trail. Another spider fell victim to Link's sword, and then Link was hit by a boulder. It rolled on as Link was left lying on the ground painfully.

He got to his feet, and finished a long walk to Goron City. The sun was setting, and Link became aware of how late it had grown. Goron City was oblivious to the fact that Zelda was missing; they had no idea she was hidden somewhere in the mountain. So Link was forced to don his Goron Tunic, and went to Darunia's former room. He grabbed the statue, and pulled it back out of the way to reveal a passage into Death Mountain's crater. Link walked inside. It became obvious very quick that the wizard was here.

Skeletons and lizard men were everywhere. Link pulled out his bow and shot a light arrow into a bunch of them. Ten fell to the holy magic, and every monster reared its ugly head at Link. He was ready. All that could reach him charged. Link put away his bow and took out the Master Sword and mirror shield. He charged the blade, and when some of them got close, Link unleashed. Spinning in a circle of death, the frontline fell to the ground, struck with death. Link stopped spinning and deflected a knife with his shield, then swiped underneath his shield with his sword to cut the lizard man's legs off. The lizard collapsed in pain, and Link moved his shield out of the way to make an upward diagonal swing at a skeleton. The skeleton blocked the blow, and swung vertically at Link. Link back-flipped out of the way, and thrust his sword up into the skeleton's ribs and broke them, leaving the skeleton to be trampled by others.

Link ducked a blow from a lizard, grabbed his arm, rolled around it to break it, landed behind the lizard, and kicked it in the back, shoving it into another lizard's knife. Link raised his shield to block more blows, and sheathed his sword. He jumped to the side to avoid being hit, and put his shield away in favor of the Biggoron sword. Holding it with both hands, Link brought it over his head in an arc, and then finished his sweep in front of him, taking the lives of enemies. Link brought the sword back the way it came, and shattered the shield of a skeleton. He raised the sword over him and behind his back, and then brought it crashing down on the skeleton.

Link put the Biggoron sword away and somersaulted backward. In mid-somersault, Link took out the Megaton hammer. When he landed on his feet, Link was the holding the hammer in one hand, patting his other hand with the end. The monsters moved in on him. Awkwardly but powerfully, Link swung the hammer with one hand. He knocked monsters flying back. Link grabbed the hammer with both hands and swung it back before monsters took advantage of his wide swing. More monsters went flying backward into the pits of lava. He swung again and again, sending foes flying like Sauron. Soon he had thinned out the ranks by hundreds, who had fallen to the mighty stone-crushing hammer.

Link swung the hammer yet again, and it hit a shield at an angle. The impact shattered the shield, but ripped the hammer from Link's grasp, sending it clattering to the ground. Link grunted, and felt a slashing sting of pain in his left shoulder. Link pulled away from the attacking lizard, and threw a hand to the ground, making his hands meet by his side. Then he took his other hand and used Din's Fire. The flame sphere came to life, and it lunged forward, fire licking at everything. Lizards squealed in pain as the magic consumed them. The fire faded away, and only twelve skeletons were left. Link took out his sword and shield.

One of the skeletons jumped at him. Link took a backward step with his left foot, and raised his shield to block the attack. Link slashed diagonally downward at the skeleton's left leg. He hit and cut it off, causing the skeleton to fall. Another skeleton made a sweep horizontally with its sword. Link raised his weapon to parry the attack with his sword pointing down. Then he used his shield to deliver a solid punch to the skeleton's face. Link glided the enemy's sword to the outside, and he threw his sword back up to the face and cut across the skeleton's skull, shattering the bone. While his sword was upward, a skeleton struck at Link with a downward thrust to his leg. The sword stabbed Link right below the knee.

Link gave a sharp yell of pain, and stepped back with the injured leg. The skeleton lunged again, but this time Link brought the hilt of the Master Sword slamming down on the skeleton's arm. The skeleton flinched and tried to draw the back. Link took a step towards him with his right foot and thrust his blade in the skeleton's head. The skeleton fell down to the earth, taking Link's sword with him. Before Link had time to retrieve his sword, the other two skeletons attacked. Link stepped away with his right foot and raised his shield to deflect the first attack. He used the shield to bang the blade away, and then threw a punch at the skeleton, knocking him back.

Link back-flipped away from the second attack and turned his back to the skeleton to grab his sword. The skeleton took the opportunity to make a downward vertical cut. Link made a triangle to the right of his head with his sword and arm, so that his blade pointed diagonally to the ground behind him. The two swords clanged, and Link turned to face the skeleton, their swords still locked. Link moved his sword away, then back again to bang the skeleton's sword out of the way. Then he made a downward diagonal cut to the right, and sliced the skeleton in half. The other skeleton was behind Link, and lunged forward. Before he finished, Link moved to the left and spun to face his opponent. He threw the Master Sword, and it pinned the skull to the wall.

Link walked over and freed his sword. He sheathed it and put his shield away. Link used the hook shot to get across the broken bridge. He was walking down it when the wizard, wearing a red robe with no part but his hands visible, appeared in a blaze of smoke on the Triforce crest. Link drew his sword. The wizard took out a staff with a spear point. Link ran forward and sliced down at the wizard's head. The staff met the Master Sword and locked. Both nudged their weapons, but they were engaged. Neither could move them without the other getting an advantage. Link glided his sword to the left with all his might, sending the staff flinging to the left. With his opponent open, Link made a thrust.

The wizard used his free hand to shoot a magic blast at Link. It impacted and exploded, sending Link flying back. He got to his feet and dodged another magic blast. Link took out his shield and slid into a guard. The wizard shot another magic blast, and Link swung at it, sending it back at the wizard. Caught by surprise, the wizard was hit by his own attack. The wizard was knocked back onto his back, and he jumped to his feet. He shot two blasts. Link knocked the first one away and was hit by the second one. His temper rising, Link used Din's Fire. The flaming dome erupted forth, and set the wizard alight. Putting out the fire, the wizard looked ahead to see Link charging sideways at him, the shield facing him and Link's sword pointing away diagonally behind him to the right and upwards slightly. Link reached the wizard and swung his sword in circle over his head at the wizard.

The wizard teleported behind Link. He shot Link with a magic blast, and Link crashed into the dirt. Link's anger was rising, and turned and got to his feet. He swung at the wizard again. The wizard teleported a second time behind Link. Link had thought ahead and twirled his blade so that its path swung Link around with his sword coming to cut the wizard in the stomach. The wizard teleported and shot Link again, throwing Link to the ground. Link got to his knees and put his sword and shield away. He instead took out Din's fire and Farore's wind.

The wizard shot at Link. Link turned and used Farore's wind. He appeared behind the wizard and used Din's fire. The flaming eruption threw the wizard forward, onto his back. He was in so much surprise that he was hit by the second strike as well. The wizard stumbled, and then teleported just before Link's third attack hit him. He appeared behind Link and shot a fireball. Link teleported out of the way. The wizard teleported behind Link's new position. Link teleported out away from the wizard. They chased each other all throughout the cavern, teleporting here and there, there and here.

Then Link went to teleport, and Farore's wind didn't work. He tried again, but with no success. Horrified, Link realized that he didn't have enough magic to use Farore's wind. He turned around to see a fireball coming at him. It struck Link in the chest, and he fell to his back. The wizard seemed to have realized Link's inability to strike, because he started to walk forward and shoot fireballs triumphantly at Link. Link rolled on his stomach to his right and dodged one, then was hit by another. He grunted pain as his flesh burned. Link lay silently on his stomach, as the wizard approached to finish him off. Link stuck his hands under his stomach.

The wizard was within a foot of Link, and prepared to shoot. Link rolled onto his back and pointed his bow at the wizard, a light arrow set. The wizard become conscious of the fact that he had been tricked, and before he could scream, Link let go of the bowstring. The light arrow shot forth, and struck the wizard in the right shoulder. The wizard yelled. Then the pulsing light aura came forth. It exploded in an array of light, shooting out beams of light which returned to strike the wizard again. The wizard's screams pierced the cavern. The light faded away, and the wizard collapsed to his knees, one hand out to support him. Link took out his sword.

The wizard looked up at Link and said, "The escape has been completed." Then a dagger appeared in his hand, and he lunged at Link. Link brought his foot down on the extending arm, and made a horizontal slash with his weapon. The wizard's head rolled on the ground, before it and the body vanished into blue flames. Link put his sword away, and looked around the cavern. Zelda was nowhere nearby. He pulled out his hook shot and used it to get to the top of one of the miniature volcanoes in the cavern. When he got to the top, Link waved his hands to blow smoke away, and he looked throughout the cavern for her. After a while, his feet started to get hot, and Link continued to look while doing a dance with his feet. Eventually, he altogether jumped off the mountain onto solid ground.

Then Link heard a noise. It wasn't coming from inside the cavern, though. So he continued to look. Then he heard the noise again. Link ignored it. The noise entered his ears again. This time, Link recognized it as a girl's voice. For a fourth time, the voice sounded, and Link was finally able to grasp what the girl was saying. It sounded like 'Link! I'm this way!' Link's brain processed that Zelda was outside the cavern, waiting for him to come. She probably thought he was an idiot.

Link ran outside. Zelda was waiting for him, chained to the mountain. Her face showed gratefulness, yet it also said, 'Link, you are an idiot.'


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Link stood silently on a castle balcony, watching Hyrule Castle town but not paying attention to it. Only to his thoughts did Link pay attention. Who escaped while he battled with the wizard in the Death Mountain cavern? Was it Zelda? No, she had been imprisoned. Who was the wizard talking about? Link knew now the wizard had used himself as a distraction to help whoever he was talking about escape. Yet Link couldn't think of anyone. Could it have been Majora? Or had Dark Link returned? Ganondorf was safely sealed away; he couldn't escape.

Link turned away from the balcony and climbed through the window into his room. The balcony had supposed to be used for decoration. Link saw it as a lookout. After squeezing through the window, Link looked around the room. All his equipment was hung on the wall, except for one thing. Link turned to a corner of the room. The Master Sword lay in its scabbard, standing in a sword stand. Link watched it, as though it might grow legs and walk away. He didn't notice someone walk in.

Zelda watched Link with his back turned to her look at the Master Sword, as though breaking eye contact with it would end his life. "I can always come back if this isn't a good time," she said. "I know how you and your sword can be sometimes."

Link blinked out of his gaze, and turned to Zelda. He smiled at the remark, and replied, "Don't worry; the sword's done drinking its bottle of milk." He walked up to her and hugged her. Zelda felt in serene peace, until she felt Link tickling her sides. She started to giggle, and Link laid Zelda down on the bed, tickling her stomach.

Zelda laughed, all the while making comments of, "Link! Ha-ha-ha-ha! Cut it out! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Oh, I'll slap you, please stop! Ha-ha-ha!" Link eventually stopped, a sneering grin on his face, while Zelda got her laughter under control. She looked up at Link, who was grinning victoriously, and she stood up and kissed him.

Link put the quill away, having finished writing his tale from two weeks ago. He held up the papers to the light, and smiled at his work. He loved it. Then he felt something come and embrace him. He turned to see Farore standing there with her arms folded, smiling.

"Farore! What are you doing here?" Link asked.

"I came to see what you're writing," Farore answered. "May I see it?"

Link gave her the paper. She read through it, smiling. Then, her smile started to fade, until it was replaced with a frown. She lowered the papers and closed her eyes, irritated.

"You spelled my name wrong," Farore muttered angrily. Link took the papers from her and scanned over it. He looked up with a look of horror. He dropped the story and tried to run out the door. It closed itself and locked magically. Link turned slowly, terrified. Farore had his Megaton Hammer.

Farore also _loved_ to swing the hammer.

THE END 


End file.
